Cultivating

Growing Mushrooms - A Fun and Rewarding Experience 

I'm a strong believer in growing mushrooms. It's a attractive pastime, one that always holds a sense of wonder. And it just doesn't get any better than eating something that you've grown yourself.

One doesn't have to be a trained mycologist or even have a green thumb to learn how to grow mushrooms. All you need is the right materials, good resources, and most importantly patience, this is must.

Cultivation is all about the care and feeding of mycelium, which is the vegetative growth of a fungus. Have you ever picked a mushroom and seen a clump of white filaments or tissue in the ground or bark underneath it? That's mycelium, the organism that produces mushrooms. Think of mycelium as a tree, and mushrooms as the apples.

If you've never heard these words before, don't panic. The beginning concepts section below has all you need to get started without being overly complicated.

For those of you who don't want to put in much time and effort, but still want some tasty mushrooms, go for mushroom kits. Mushroom Kits are a fun and simple way to get started.

The advantages of growing mushrooms are many and varied. You can create your own healthy food. You can save money. You can learn and teach about biology without the classroom. It's fun and exciting

Things to Know Before You Grow 

·         It really helps to know some vocabulary and concepts before you start growing mushrooms. You'll have a better understanding of the grow guides if you're familiar with these ideas.  

·         Think of the articles below as your "Mushroom Growing Primer". If you don't know something, click on the link to learn more.  

·         From fun and education to food and mycorestoration, there are lots of great reasons to take up this hobby. Read the Top Ten Reasons to Grow Mushrooms page to find out more. 

·         You'll have the best success if you understand a little about the mushroom life cycle before you begin. This page isn't a lot of hard science, just a simple overview of what happens between spore and mushroom. If you don't know what "mycelium" is than this is a good place to start! 

·         One of the first decisions to make before growing mushrooms is which species. Will it be the medicinal mushroom or some tasty shiitake? Some are easier than others, so check out the growing different types of mushrooms page if you need help making a decision. 

·         Most hobby growers begin with mushroom spawn, which is simply any substance that has been inoculated with mycelium. When starting a new project you'll need to know about different types of mushroom spawn, how to use it, and where to get it. 

·         Once you're familiar with the concept of spawn I suggest you check out one of my favorite methods. How to make mushroom spawn with cardboard tells you how to generate a massive amount of spawn quickly, easily, and cheaply. 

·         After spawn it's time to start learning about substrates. A mushroom substrate is any substance on which mycelium, the vegetative part of a fungus, will grow. You'll need the right growing materials, and the mushroom substrates page will teach you about your options.

 

·         If you choose straw as your substrate you'll need to pasteurize it if growing indoors. You pasteurize straw to reduce the amount of microscopic competitors, thus giving your project a greater chance at success. The pasteurization page will give you instructions on a few different methods.